Robert Kraft: This Patriots team already “super-special”

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has more to choose from than others when it comes to favorite memories.

But even before this current season is over, Kraft said the current version of his team is among his favorites.

While the Patriots haven’t added to the three Super Bowl trophies, they’ve gotten to the AFC Championship game in a year which included the murder arrest of tight end Aaron Hernandez, and a seemingly endless parade of injuries to key players.

“We’ve had some wonderful experiences and some wonderful teams, but this team really is super-special,” Kraft said, via Christopher Gasper of the Boston Globe. “When you go through the locker room, you can get a feeling for the chemistry, how guys feel about one and another, the camaraderie.

“This team really reminds me of that 2001 team, a lot of players who weren’t household names, but they bonded together. They weren’t the best team on paper. But it’s not the team with the most talent, but rather the team that has the players who play the best together as a team and make the fewest mistakes.”

I’m not a Patriots fan, but you do have to respect what they accomplished this year with the massive amount of turnover to the roster (both offseason and during the season). Belichick and Brady are one of the best Coach/QB combos in history regardless of what you think of Spygate.

It will be interesting to see if they go into Denver and Brady handles Manning yet again…

I’m not a Patriots fan by any stretch but they are playing solid football. Kudos to the Coach & QB for getting them to the Championship game. That’s very impressive. And, if they can get past the forehead this Sunday, Eli will not be waiting for him in the Super Bowl.

The guy’s a good owner. He’s a strong presence, but doesn’t overstep or conduct himself in an asinine manner.

tigerlilac says:Jan 18, 2014 10:32 AM

This year’s Patriots team is super-special. If you love the NFL you surely admire what the Patriots have accomplished. Their hard work, perseverance, ability to adapt, support of each other, and willingness to compete each week until their is no time left on the clock should be a model for every franchise. Eleven games decided by a touchdown or less with two (Cleveland and New Orleans) victories that stunned the opposing teams at the very end of the game when a Patriots defeat seemed certain. One need not be a Patriots fan to admire this team but to not appreciate them is to deny oneself the enjoyment of the best sport has to offer.

6ball says:Jan 18, 2014 10:33 AM

.
Kraft is correct. The January edition of the Patriots roster doesn’t read like a who’s / who. It’s more like a who.

On paper they are clearly the least impressive of the four remaining teams. Their offense is held together with duct tape and bailing wire. Their defense is mostly smoke and mirrors.

This may have been said before but this years Denver Broncos look like the 2001 St. Louis Rams. This years Patriots look like the 2001 New England Patriots. That doesn’t even determine an income what so ever. But when I started looking at the two teams and their stats it was so familiar. But it might be my imagination and excitment over tomorrow though. Win and Lose with grace everybody.

marcuswelby1 says:Jan 18, 2014 11:12 AM

Bob Kraft is a class act!

jackybadass says:Jan 18, 2014 11:18 AM

He loves money more than his players and championships that’s for sure!

Best owner in sports. Bought the team at its lowest point for the most ever spent on a sports franchise at the time (175 million). Not because he was making a shrewd business move but because he was a lifelong fan of the pats and don’t want to see them move the gateway city or whatever (St. Louis).

Of course, under his leadership he’s turned it into a 1.8 billion dollar franchise with the best winning percentage in the NFL since he took over (and it’s not even close). He also built Gillette stadium with his OWN funds, no public $ at all. Huge risk on his part but he’s an excellent business man and leader so it’s paid off for him exponentially. We’re lucky to have Kraft up here in New England

(And no he doesn’t own Kraft foods. He made his fortune in the paper business)

I concur with a lot of the comments above. He’s one of the best owners in the business who genuinely cares for both the business AND its fans in equal parts.

I feel very fortunate to have him as “my” football team’s owner. In addition, he’s learned hard lessons along the way with Parcells/Carroll/Grier and wasn’t so full of himself to not understand a better way to do things as an owner of a pro team.

He’s the complete 100% opposite of that blowhard in Dallas, who never learns from anything, who owns the team just to fulfill his ego.

How touching. A photo of George Bush Sr. and Robert Kraft. Can I get a larger version so I can frame it?

RE LEE says:Jan 18, 2014 12:31 PM

How about getting Brady the support he deserves? He renegotiated his contract and get less money and he ends up with rag rag team. You are lucky you have BB and TB? What elite qb had this bad situation as brady have now? Brady works so hard and it would be heartbreaking to have his dream dashed yet again because you are cheap.

They are super-special, in that they played an easy schedule, were gifted a few wins, and will lose to a better Broncos team.

bobzilla1001 says:Jan 18, 2014 2:52 PM

What made the Patriots special this season is what’s made them special the past decade or so: Bill Belichick.
I used to lump Tom Brady into the Patriots’ secret recipe for success, but he really wasn’t Brady-like this season. I have to go back to 2008, when Belichick coached New England to an 11-5 record without him.
And playing “easy schedules” guarantees nothing. Just ask the 2012 and 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers.
Only an idiot would dare downplay the remarkable coaching ability of Bill Belichick.

phillyphinsfan says:Jan 18, 2014 2:52 PM

President Putin thinks the 2005 team was more special.

weepingjebus says:Jan 18, 2014 3:07 PM

Went to a pats-redskins game a few years ago. In warmups, Belichick and Kraft were out on the field together. Not interfering with the players, just watching and chatting. Snyder was up in his box with a bunch of suits. Explains a lot, really.

forsbergler says:Jan 18, 2014 3:26 PM

This guy really pisses me off. The cheapest owner in the league. Always spending way less than the cap allows. To all who thought Brady took a pay cut because he wanted to give the team more cap space to spend, well that’s BS. That would of been a good excuse if they actually spent their CAP money. After a 3rd SB Brady got shafted by this Owner and Coach because he knew they would of let him walk if he wanted what he deserved. He knew this and god forbid he had to go to another team and show the world that all his success came from the Spygate scheme and he was actually just a pretty good game manager at best. The reason the Pats won’t win another SB in Belichick, Adams, and Kraft era is because your owner is CHEAP! bring in some talent and spend your money and your Spygate scheme might work a little better than it has in the past 10 years.

Cheap? They spend to the cap every year, built the stadium with their own money, and don’t charge personal seat license fees to fans like most other teams.

Not every owner can cheat their salary cap way to the Superbowl like lets just say “some teams” … And are you forgetting how the cap savvy donkeys completely blew it and let Dumervil go to the ravens THIS SEASON?

C’mon man, why are you hating on Kraft? He is a good dude. He even paid his rookie running back Robert Edwards’s entire contract salary when he blew his knee out and ended his career at an NFL pro bowl rookie beach volley ball event, when he did not have to to pay this.

Sure he doesn’t break the bank by overpaying superstars like the redskins or some other teams but he is not cheap. Haters gonna hate but as least use facts.